KITT
Developing an Award-winning Life-Saving Product Idea
KITT Medical was looking for full-service UK product design company to help design and develop a life-saving product idea. 550 million people worldwide suffer from allergies, with one in five at risk of a fatal reaction known as anaphylaxis.
KITT’s Co-founder and CEO, Zak Marks, is a severe allergy sufferer who had an idea for a ground-breaking emergency allergy kit to prevent avoidable deaths in schools and sought out our expert team to help.
Brief
The Duku team delivered end-to-end product development and design services, from concept development to market. Due to the practical applications of the emergency product, it was more important than ever to conduct robust ‘real world’ testing to ensure proof of concept and optimise product functionality.
Proposal
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Colour-coded adrenaline pens: for fast and easy identification in an emergency
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Simple-to-follow instructions: to empower untrained users to help in a crisis
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Wall-mount: enabling accessibility in prominent and highly visible locations
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Keys and emergency lock box: for added security
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Bespoke software: Accredited CPD training, incident and medication tracking
Key Features Developed
Development Process Stages
How Duku designed and developed KITT:
1
Concept Development and Design Visualisation
The concept development process began by establishing the key functionality and design criteria required for the project. We then developed user-friendly design features: designing the Anaphylaxis KITT with clearly colour-coded medications (2x 300mcg and 2x 150mcg adrenaline auto-injectors) and simple usage instructions. We also protected the intellectual property of the brand.
2
Prototyping and Testing
Utilising cost-effective computer-aided design (CAD), the Duku team was able to explore styling and size requirements. In-house 3D printers were used to quickly prototype the first concept, which enabled Duku to evaluate the initial product design and refine it to improve its functionality. A batch of high-quality CNC prototypes was then produced to implement into real-world product trials to gather user feedback.
3
Creating a Brand Identity
Designed to be seen, the bright orange product branding is eye-catching and memorable; this serves the dual purpose of making the KITT highly visible in emergency situations and increasing product brand awareness.
4
Product
Manufacturing
A final design for manufacture stage enabled Duku to add crucial injection moulding details such as surface textures and KITT brand colours. Duku manufactured the product, ensuring that every step in the manufacturing process ran smoothly, to budget and on time. We provided the client with transparent quotes, including accurate cost projections for the full manufacturing process, from set-up to shipping.
Duku and KITT successfully designed a product which could be wall-mounted in accessible locations around schools, meaning it would be readily available at the point of use during allergy-related emergencies. A bespoke staff key and emergency lock box was included to ensure that the product would not be damaged or tampered with.
The final product is a user-friendly and effective medical device. It includes a subscription service with bespoke software to deliver ongoing CPD-accredited anaphylaxis training. The software also offers incident reporting and system management, showing the locations of KITT units and ensuring each is adequately stocked with in-date medications.
Outcome
Described as a ‘defibrillator for allergies’, the project won the 2022 Mayor’s Entrepreneur Award for its excellence. Since launching in 2023, KITT has been installed in over 500 UK schools and qualifying businesses, training has been rolled out to more than 12,000 staff members, and many lives have already been saved.
KITT featured on BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, ITV1 and Talk TV and received further recognition in print in The Times and The Independent news publications. It has been highly praised for its life-saving applications, comprehensive training programme, and simple, but effective design features.
Ready to take your product idea to the next level? Duku is an expert product development consultancy with a wealth of experience in progressing products from initial ideas to award-winning products. Complete our online form for a free consultation and get started today.
What Happened Next ...
